Family heartbroken after puppy stolen from humane society

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PORTLAND – On Saturday afternoon, the Belzer family was all set to adopt their new 3-month-old puppy from the Oregon Humane Society. They had an adorable Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix named John picked out and ready to take home for Christmas.

Mike Belzer, his wife and three daughters had finished filling out the paper work and had even paid the fee, said David Lytle with the Oregon Humane Society.

"We brought the kids in. We fell in love with him," Belzer said.

The family even brought in their 10-year-old retriever named Benson for a meet-and-greet with John.

"They got along well," Belzer said. "It was all systems go. The girls were excited."

But when a worker went to fetch the puppy from the kennel area, he was gone, Lytle said.

The family was heartbroken.

Lytle said someone sneaked in through a back door and nabbed the dog while staff was in the other room working out the details for the adoption.

"The girls went from the highs of having a puppy for Christmas to the lows of the personal sorrow," Belzer said. "It was a quiet ride home with a lot of tears."

“We’re hoping that we can find the puppy and reunite him with the family who wanted to adopt him,” said OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon in a press release to KGW. “It’s heartbreaking to see something like this happen. The puppy was ready to go to his new home.”

The Oregon Humane Society posted the story on its Facebook page and comments have been pouring in.